The Sidekick
by OliveBranchStories
Summary: Inspired by scenes in the season 4 trailer. Without warning or explanation Korra left Republic City for the Earth Kingdom and because of a worsening civil war none of her friends can try to find her. None of her friends other than Bolin, that is. Bolin is an earthbender, and he alone can try to find Korra and make sure she is okay.


Finally, Legend of Korra fanfiction!

I first started watching LOK in August and finished books 1, 2 and 3 a few days before the book 3 finale. I then saw the book 3 finale, which of course blew my mind. The show immediately became my favourite tv show and one of my favourite stories. It's got an amazing world and plot and everything, but Korra's _sheer freaking tenacity _is what does it for me. She never gives up. She has her dark points, of course (Book 1, episode 4, the pain!) but she never _freakin gives up_. I mean, when she was fighting Zaheer after handing herself over she was chained up. A typical character would yell a bit then be like "Whelp, this sucks" and get taken away. Not Korra. She yells at bit then *FIREBENDS IN YOUR FACE*

And I just love that.

So I've wanted to write some fanficiton ever seeing it. I've got a few bits and pieces lying around, but this I want to upload.

It was inspired by the season 4 trailer, obviously. I haven't excessively analysed the trailer, so I could be wrong, but there are scenes of both Korra and Bolin apparently alone in what appears to be the Earth Kingdom, fighting various nefarious earthbenders/earthy foes. Korra seems to be on a bit of a wander in the trailer, but I was wondering…well, what if Bolin goes wandering after her? What if, because of what Kuvira is doing (damn it Kuvira! Whatever it is) is the only one who can?

And thus, The Sidekick was born.

I would like to write some more of this but am a very patchily motivated person. I have so many ideas and things to do.

But if you want to see more of this story you know what to do!

Send me some constructive critique in a review!

Okay so you don't just have to send constructive critique, I just added that for the syllables, but I do appreciate it.

Please review!

But, more importantly, please enjoy.

(Fun fact: The working title of this story was 'I'm Still Here' for no other reason than, in addition to Lights new album 'Little Machines', I was listening to the song 'I'm Still Here' by Vertical Horizons quite a lot as I was brainstorming it. I recommend a listen. The lyrics don't fall directly in line with this story, but a lot of the emotions and sentiment do. At least for me.)

(Also, I do not know if the above mentioned details are, in fact, fun, but let's just pretend that they are.)

* * *

><p><strong>The Sidekick<strong>

Tenzin's office in Republic Hall was cavernous and the open windows filled it with light. Behind the desk the airbending master sat at the huge symbol that represented the Air Nation was carved into the far stone wall. It was a beautiful carving, the stone smooth and the lines flowing like a wind through a valley.

As he approached Bolin looked up at it and felt unidentifiably uneasy.

"Ah, Mako, Bolin, Asami," Tenzin said, looking up from the message he was hastily writing when the three young adults were half way to his desk. He beckoned at the side of the room and a clerk appeared, wordlessly taking the scroll Tenzin had been writing on and flapping it dry as they ran away, presumably to send it.

Message taken, Tenzin stood and moved around his desk.

"Tenzin," Mako acknowledged, his tone as serious as his new hairstyle.

As they stopped in front of the airbender Asami smiled and inclined her head, two small gestures exaggerated by her satomobile-rim-red lipstick and the swing of her black hair. Bolin offered Tenzin a small wave, using his right hand to avoid bumping Mako and Asami on his left.

"I'm glad you could make it. I have news on Korra," Tenzin said.

Mako and Asami exchanged surprised eyebrows and Bolin straightened up with a bubble of excitement appearing in his suddenly nervous stomach.

"Really? Is she back? Where is she? Is she okay?" He asked urgently.

Six months ago Korra had returned from the South Pole. Her recovery had taken much longer than anyone had anticipated, almost three years whereas they had expected a couple months at most, and it had really shaken them. Consequently when Korra had returned Bolin, Mako and Asami had greeted her enthusiastically; taking her out to all of the old restaurants and some pro-bending tournaments and even on some of Mako's police raids. Bolin suspected Tenzin had talked to Lyn about this because the strict officer didn't tell them off, or at least not too badly.

They'd been so excited that, in hindsight, Bolin realized they hadn't noticed Korra wasn't returning the enthusiasm. She'd been happy to see them of course and for the first few days she'd been charging all over the city with them. But then, without them even really noticing, she'd gone away into her own head. Korra had still eaten and talked and bended, her bending being even better than from before she'd left, but now that Bolin was remembering what he'd seen and not what he had thought he had seen there had been something clinical about everything she did. Her heart hadn't been in it, her heart hadn't been with them. It had been somewhere else; left behind on an icy tundra, or still in a cave beneath a giant red sigil painted on the stone wall.

Four months had passed since Korra had returned and things had just started feeling like they were getting back to the way they should be. Then Kuvira, one of Lyn's ex-police officers, started stirring up trouble in the Earth Kingdom. Korra, Bolin, Mako and Asami, Team Avatar reunited and back to business, had started seeing the repercussions in Republic City.

When every eye was turned to the Earth Kingdom, at the exact moment when the focus left Korra and everybody least expected something to happen to her, Korra vanished.

No warning, and with only brief few words to one of Air Temple Island's attendants left behind to stop them all from thinking she'd been abducted.

And she was just gone.

Bolin had tried to imagine it and force himself to understand what Korra must have been thinking and what had made her leave, but he couldn't, and that hurt.

It hurt like not being a good enough friend; good enough for Korra to talk too before she just upped and left, or good enough to see that she was going to before she did.

So now, finally, after two months of not knowing, having news on Korra felt like coming up for air after spending too long under the surface.

"Korra has not returned," Tenzin said, immediately puncturing that particular bubble, "but I have received reports from…strategic informants…in the Earth Kingdom-"

"Spies," Mako said helpfully, after glancing across Asami and seeing Bolin's confused expression.

Tenzin bristled indignantly.

"_Strategic informants_, Mako. Anyway, initial reports from the _strategic informants _were that Kuvira's metalbenders were fighting a series of covert agents from the Fire, Water and Air nations who were in Earth Kingdom colours, and I suspected it might be Korra but could not be certain. However, this morning I received a telegraph that one of these 'covert agents' used both earthbending as well as waterbending when fighting multiple mecha-suits. This in combination with reports that Kuvira has gone to the area and was seen talking extensively to the units tasked with finding the covert agents makes me strongly believe that these and previous reports are referring to Korra."

"Korra's in the Earth Kingdom?" Mako confirmed.

"Yes," Tenzin said.

Bolin, Mako and Asami did not say anything; they just looked at each other. Each of them wore expressions of uncertainty and concern.

After the Red Lotus has brought down the Earth Queen they had left a power vacuum in her place. Zaheer's philosophy was to let this power vacuum collapse and bring the walls of order down with it, but after he had been defeated Kuvira had evidently seen an opportunity. She had been a good and loyal officer to Lyn, which was why learning that she was the one behind the violent grab for power in the Earth Kingdom had been like a slap to the face.

The outbreak of civil war had made it much too dangerous for outsiders. Everybody who wasn't an earthbender was being catalogued and strictly controlled by both sides. After Zaheer, an airbender, had murdered their queen the Earth Kingdom, which still remembered its bitter defeat at the hands of the Fire Nation, wanted anything to do with the other nations. Kuvira had been all too happy to exploit on this self-imposed segregation.

If someone from one of the other nations was found by the Earth Kingdom or Kuvira they were thrown in prison.

If a waterbender, airbender or firebender were found ugly things invariably followed.

Bolin had heard the stories of what had happened at peaceful Fire Nation colonies that, in agreement with Lord Zuko, the Earth King had allowed to remain after the war. For the first time he understood what Mako meant, when he said that his bending felt like a curse. A firebender had killed their parents and now earthbenders were locking up innocent people. Bolin felt tainted by these acts; like the contamination had gotten into his blood, somehow.

Tenzin and the President of Republic City had been reduced to using spies and messages and had already called upon the few Earth Kingdom allies they still had. At the moment the Earth Kingdom was a dangerous place and everything knew that something was brewing, something was going to break.

So of course that was where Korra was.

Tenzin was letting the remnants they were, Team Avatar without the Avatar, absorb the information. Unfortunately, Korra being in the Earth Kingdom was not a surprise to them. This news was actually unwanted confirmation of what Bolin, Mako and Asami had been suspecting for the past two months. The few times they had each extricated themselves from their busy, separate lives to meet up at noodle-places on street corners or to eat take away curries lounging in the entrances of nostalgic alleyways this had been the theory that had arisen the most.

The Press had rumoured that she had run away, her nerve broken by what had happened at the Northen Air Temple. Both on these outings and other times Bolin, Mako and Asami had heard some people talking in derisive tones about the cowardice of the Avatar. Whenever this happened they all tensed simultaneously, wanting to leap up and set this ungrateful world straight, but they didn't. Tenzin hadn't wanted any more attention being paid to Korra's absence then was absolutely necessary and had made them all promise not to talk about it in public.

The people of Republic City doubted her, but they didn't know her. Team Avatar knew that Korra didn't run away from things she was afraid of, or that threatened her. If anything she ran toward them.

Amon.

Vatuu.

Zaheer.

Now that the balance of the world was threatened again it seemed painfully obvious that there would be no place that Korra would be other than in the thick of it.

Whether she was okay or not.

"Do you know where in the Earth Kingdom?" Asami asked Tenzin.

"Yeah, the Earth Kingdom's _kinda_ a big place," Bolin said, wincing as he remembered the giant green expanse of it on standard maps.

"The most recent information suggests she is in the South East," Tenzin said.

This was not terribly helpful.

"The South East? You can't narrow it down a tiny bit?" Mako demanded. Bolin didn't need to look at his brother to know that his eyes would be narrowed and the corner of his mouth twisting impatiently.

The South East was where the worst fighting was…where Kuvira was.

"No," said Tenzin. He sounded regretful.

"But the South East is kind of…big…" Bolin said, "It'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack whilst that haystack is _actively trying to kill us_."

Tenzin frowned as Mako and Asami glanced at Bolin.

"What?" Bolin said.

"We can't go to the Earth Kingdom, Bolin," Mako said slowly.

"Why not?"

"They're imprisoning and killing everybody who isn't a citizen!" Mako said exasperatedly. "Korra's the Avatar so she can earthbend, which I guess is like a free pass to everywhere in the Earth Kingdom, but we can't!"

Mako punched a knuckle to his own chest.

Unconsciously mimicking his brother Bolin pressed his fingers against his chest.

"_I_ can!"

Now Tenzin, Mako and Asami were staring at Bolin in surprise.

All of them, right up until that moment, had forgotten Bolin could earthbend.

"Yeah, it's perfect! I'll go to the earth kingdom and find her!"

The idea was growing on Bolin now.

"Like you said Mako, earthbending is an all-access free pass to everywhere in the Earth Kingdom! I'll rock up, do some earthbending, then I'll be good to go!"

The others were still staring at him.

"That's an…admirable suggestion…" Tenzin said, finally regaining the power of speech, but was interrupted by Mako.

"You're not going to the Earth Kingdom, Bolin!" he said sharply.

Asami glanced between the two brothers looking conflicted.

"Why not?"

"Because you're not!" Mako yelled.

Asami took a step back out of the firing line.

"None of us could come with you and you're not going alone!"

"No, no, Mako, it would work. I wouldn't go looking for trouble or anything, I'd travel on back roads and only go into towns for food and stuff," Bolin said quickly, hoping to convince his brother.

Mako was uncompromising.

"_No._"

"_Why not?_" Bolin demanded back, starting to get angry himself now.

"You're too young!" Mako snapped.

"I'm 20 years old!" Bolin rebutted.

"Exactly!"

"What does 'exactly' mean, _exactly_?"

Mako looked around for an ally.

"Asami, tell Bolin why he can't go."

All eyes turned on Asami. She chewed her lip, both thoughtfully and nervously.

"Asami?" Mako said, sounding suddenly betrayed.

"Well, why can't he go?" Asami said reasonably, gesturing at Bolin though her eyes remained on Mako. "If he's careful it shouldn't be too dangerous, and he's the only one who can do this."

Mako's mouth twisted into an angry shape.

"We haven't seen Korra in _months_ Mako, and it's not like she just bounced back from Red Lotus poison immediately. She could be hurt or sick or- anything could've happened! Bolin's our best option here."

Bolin gave Asami a look that said a sincere and fervent _thank you_.

"Tenzin?" Mako turned to the master, trying and failing not to sound imploring.

Tenzin put a hand to his beard and stroked it. His eyebrows were so low they almost formed one big, bushy line across his face.

"Hmmm. With adequate preparation this may be a viable course of action…" he mused.

Mako turned his face away with a look of disgust.

"But how would you find her?" Tenzin stopped stroking his beard and looked up at Bolin. "Our reports are highly filtered. My spies-"

A mocking snort from Mako.

"-I mean, my strategic informants, they have not actually seen Korra. They have only passed on information gathered from Kuvira's forces and the local populace. It would be, as you said, like trying to find a needle in a haystack."

"A needle that a psychotic metalbender and her army of crazies is also looking for, don't forget!" Mako snapped.

"Exactly, Mako," Bolin said, looking straight into his brother's eyes. "Kuvira's after her, and Korra's all alone. I have to try and find her. I'm the only one who can."

Mako held Bolin's gaze, searching for something in his little brother's eyes. Bolin didn't know what else he could say to convince him so he just stood there and let Mako look for whatever he needed.

Finally Mako looked away. His head was tipped toward the floor and he leant his weight back on his heels, like he was in a battle and this was a surrender.

"I'm sorry, Mako," Bolin said.

He wasn't sorry to be going but he was sorry to be leaving Mako behind.

Somehow, these weren't conflicting things.

Mako looked up again, gathering his composure. Mouth shut, eyes fierce, he nodded once to Bolin.

"So, how do you plan to find Korra, again?" Asami interrupted.

"Oh, easy," Bolin said brightly. "I'll just go to wherever she was reported to be last and make a scene in town. She'll hear about it and hopefully come looking for me."

Mako brought a palm up and pressed it long-sufferingly to his forehead.

"If that doesn't work I can get myself arrested very loudly, then hopefully she'll come and break me out."

"What happened to not making a scene?" Mako asked exasperatedly.

From his tone and the look on his face he was now resigned to supporting whatever hare-brained scheme Bolin came up with. It had been difficult for a few moments but now that Bolin had his support Mako would back him in whatever he decided.

It was good, having him as a brother.

"Worse comes to worst I can always lavabend my way out of any trouble," Bolin said reassuringly.

It was true, lavabending was such a rare and powerful form of earthbending it would give him a distinct advantage as well as the element of surprise.

But Mako had made Bolin think. It wasn't his question that had triggered something in Bolin's mind, but seeing him go from not wanting to let Bolin go, to realizing it wasn't really his choice, to supporting him wholeheartedly even though he didn't know what supporting him wholeheartedly would entail.

Bolin realized that wherever Korra was, whatever she was doing, was her choice. It seemed obvious, she made all of her preparations to leave in secret and then acted on them on her own, but somehow Bolin needed to run the realization through his head to fully appreciate the consequences.

He couldn't treat this like a rescue mission because the chances were that it wasn't. If Bolin just turned up in Korra's life and tried to drag her back to Republic City after she'd made it very clear that she didn't want to be there by leaving…well, it wouldn't be a very good act of friendship, would it? Maybe Korra had left because for some unknown reason she'd _had _to leave. How could Bolin, in all of his ignorance, try to override those reasons just because he and the others wanted her back and thought they knew best?

He frowned to himself.

"Just so we're clear…" Bolin said, speaking slowly so as to give his thoughts time to rapidly coalesce, "I won't be going to the Earth Kingdom to bring Korra back."

"What?" Tenzin said.

"Why not?" Asami asked.

Mako furrowed his eyebrows quizzically.

Bolin didn't look at anyone, still thinking quickly. He hadn't been able to make himself understand why Korra had left, but now he was understanding something else.

"Korra would've left for a reason…" Bolin said, "…and she might not be ready to come back. I mean, if Kuvira's still kicking it's obviously not over and I doubt Korra would want to leave. So I'm going to go to make sure she's okay."

Bolin looked up at Tenzin, whose expression was complicated.

"Once I've done that…I'll just…see what she needs. If she's hurt and needs to come back I'll help her. But if she wants to stay and keep fighting Kuvira…well, I just hope she'll take me on as a sidekick."

Bolin gave a hesitant, joking smile to which Tenzin responded to by exhaling a sigh through his long nose, a noise Bolin didn't know the meaning of.

He tapped his fingers against each other nervously, waiting for Tenzin's verdict. As he had been arguing with Mako Bolin had resolved himself for going, no matter what the others said, but it'd certainly be a whole lot easier with the assistance of the airbending master.

"As much as I want you to bring Korra back," Tenzin said, "realistically…you probably couldn't."

Bolin remembered sparring with Korra back in pro-bending training and winced.

"Yeah…"

"I mean, she's the Avatar, and you're just an earthbender…" Tenzin elaborated.

"Well…," Bolin said, 'just' an earthbender pricked his pride a little bit.

"She'd wipe the floor with you!" Tenzin said, gesturing expansively as though at a floor Korra was about to wipe Bolin with.

"Okay, okay," Bolin said, raising his hands in a 'you can stop any time now' gesture.

Tenzin blinked.

"Uh, ahem, well. Anyway. I need to get back to work. Tonight and tomorrow we will organize your supplies and plan your journey."

Mako looked pained rapidness of these plans but did not say anything against them.

"Then I can leave the day after tomorrow," Bolin agreed with a nod, feeling the first idea of nerves in his stomach.

It hadn't quite hit him yet how much of a responsibility this was, though he knew it would; probably tonight, just before he went to bed. Mostly, he just felt oddly relieved to finally have a course of action. Korra missing was like a constant stitch in their collective sides. It wasn't just that a close friend was missing and they all wanted to make sure she was okay, it was that Korra being gone was too familiar and felt all too much like foreboding. Bolin and the others were too used to Korra being taken and returning to them slightly more injured, slightly more broken. When Tarrlock had abducted her she'd returned cut and bruised, though the cuts and bruises had healed. However, after Korra had handed herself over to Zaheer she had come back to them as a different version of herself, and she'd never quite been the same ever since.

She'd been in the Avatar State, and Bolin wasn't sure all of her had made it back out.

So even though they had known Korra had left of her volition, without being captured or blackmailed, Bolin, Mako and Asami, and probably Tenzin and the other adults too, had all been tense and watchful, waiting for the blow to fall.

Until now.

Now there was a plan.

Bolin was going to go to the Earth Kingdom and find Korra and make sure she was okay. If she wanted to come back, that would be great. If she didn't, which was more likely, Bolin just hoped she would let him stay.

If Korra let him stay Bolin could be her sidekick and whatever battles she was fighting she wouldn't have to fight them alone.


End file.
